Vanessa McGowan (M.Mus) is a New Zealand-born upright and electric bassist, vocalist, session musician, writer, and creativity coach currently touring out of Nashville, Tennessee.

Vanessa moved to Nashville, TN, in 2014 with the multi-Tui Award-winning New Zealand duo Tattletale Saints and currently tours and is musical director for Grammy-Award-winner Brandy Clark.

In recent years, she has performed with country duo Sugarland and opened for Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Karen Fairchild from Little Big Town, and Brandi Carlile, who sat in with the band.

She is an in-demand touring and session bass player and is proud to endorse Fender Guitars, Aguilar Amps, Fishman, and D’Addario Strings.

Vanessa and acclaimed New Zealand songwriter Cy Winstanley formed Tattletale Saints in 2012, and moved the band to Nashville in 2014.

TTS won the NZ Music Award for Folk in 2014 for their debut album, How Red Is the Blood, produced by Grammy award winner Tim O’Brien, and again in 2021 for their third studio album, Dancing Under The Dogwoods.

Vanessa has been playing with Grammy-Award-winner Brandy Clark since 2017 and is her bass player, backing vocalist, and musical director.

Notable performances include Red Rocks, Austin City Limits, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Ravinia, The Birchmere, Gramercy, The Troubadour, and The Ryman.